Bedstead-fastening



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PURCHES MILES, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO A. P. PLANT, OF PLANTVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

BEDSTEAD-FASTENING.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 28,326, dated May 15, 1860.

To all whom fit 'may concern.'

Be it known that I, PURcHEs MILES, of the city and county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Lock-Joint for Bedstead-Fastenings and Analogous Purposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of one joint of a bedstead with my invention applied to it. Fig. 2, a vertical central section of ditto. Fig. 3, a detached perspective view of my invention.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The object of this invention is to obtain a lock joint or fastening by which the rails and posts of bedsteads or other two similar parts to be connected, may be drawn firmly together in close contact and locked by a dovetail, the locking of the dovetail and the drawing of the parts together being simultaneously performed by a` simple movement of a lever or the turning of a shaft.

The invention consists in the employment or use of a shaft provided with an eccentric on the prominent part of which a spiral flanch is formed; in connection with a dovetail tenon and mortise, arranged substantially as hereinafter described to effect the desired end.

The invention also further consists in the employment or use of a bracket-bearing so applied to the parts that it may serve as a brace, and steady and render firm and stiff the connected parts.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention I will proceed to describe it.

A, (Figs. l and 2) represents t-he post of a bedstead, and B, the rail. In the post A, a mortise a, is made having its upper end of dovetail form, and a tenon Z), is made on the end of the rail B, said tenon having an inclined upper surface corresponding with the mortise a, as shown clearly at cl, in Fig. 2. The mortise o, is greater in height than the tenon l), as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

The fastening is formed of a shaft c, which may be of cast-iron or other suitable material, and having a lever or arm c, at one end and an eccentric a', at the opposite end, the eccentric being larger in diameter than the shaft, and having a spiral anch b, thereon. The shaft-arm and eccentric and shaft may also be cast in one piece if desired. The shaft c, is fitted in a bearing C, which is of bracket-form, as shown clearly in Fig. l, and serves as a brace or support to the rail and post. This bearing is secured to the under side of the rail so that its outer end will abut against the post when the rail and post are drawn together-see Figs. 1 and 2.

The eccentric c', is at the outer side of the bearing C, and said eccentric fits into the lower part of the mortise a, below the tenon b, and engages with a female thread d', in the lower edge of the mortise a, as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

The operation is as follows z-VVhen the rail is to be secured to the post, the shaft c,

is turned so that the prominent portion of the eccentric a, will be uppermost, and the eccentric is then fitted in the mortise and also the tenon Z), the upper inclined edge of the tenon b, being below the upper edge of the mortise in consequence of the position of the eccentric, as above mentioned. The arm c, of the shaft c, is then turned and consequently the eccentric a', the prominent part of the latter moving downward and the spiral flanch b', in consequence of tting in cl, draws the rail B, snugly to the post A, while the eccentric a', forces the tenon b, upward and causes the inclined upper surfaces d, of the tenon and eccentric to be in contact forming a lock, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. The fastening therefore, it will be seen, draws the two parts A, B, together and locks them at the same time, the two functions being performed simultaneously.

The bearing C, it will be seen, performs the functions of a brace and renders the connected parts firm and stiff.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The arrangement of the shaft c, provided with eccentric a', spiral flanches b', the dovetail mortise a, tenon I), and female screw thread CZ, with the bracket bearing C, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

PURCHES MILES.

Witnesses HENRY B. HARRISON, A. P. PLANT. 

